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Vladimir Putin gets lavish welcome on visit to ally Serbia

Published Thu Jan 17 2019 18:26:32 GMT+0000 (UTC)

by By DUSAN STOJANOVIC

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Vladimir Putin received a hero's welcome in ally Serbia on Thursday as the Russian president attempted to maintain political and economic influence in the Balkans, which is increasingly looking Westward.

Putin's presidential plane was escorted over Serbian airspace by MiG-29 fighter jets he recently donated to Serbia as he arrived for the one-day visit. Church bells tolled, guns saluted and people waved Russian and Serbian flags on Putin's route through the Serbian capital, Belgrade.

Serbia has maintained close links with traditional Slavic ally Russia despite formally seeking European Union membership. It has refused to join Western sanctions against Russia over Ukraine and has pledged to stay out of NATO.

Putin has recently stepped up efforts to restore Moscow's influence in the former communist countries of Eastern Europe.

Putin and his host, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, praised the relationship between the two countries. Putin handed a top Russian honor to Vucic, who gave a puppy of a Serb dog breed to the Russian president.

Vucic thanked Russia for its support for Serbia's claim over Kosovo, a former province that declared independence in 2008, and added that "however small," Serbia has been a "reliable partner" to Russia.

Several bilateral agreements were signed, including on the supply of Russian gas and weapons to Serbia.

On the gas, Putin said Russian companies are ready to invest about $1.4 billion into a stretch of a pipeline that would go from Turkey via EU-member Bulgaria to Serbia and then on to Hungary, "but in the end, everything will depend on other countries, including the European Union."

Putin's visit come as thousands have been holding weekly demonstrations against Vucic because of what they see as his autocratic rule.

Tens of thousands of Vucic's right-wing party supporters were bused into the capital on Thursday to gather in front of the St. Sava Orthodox church, which the two presidents visited. They were chanting slogans including "Serbia-Russia, we don't need the European Union!"

Vucic's critics say the gathering was staged to suggest that the Serbian leader has many more supporters than opponents, who have been marching the same route since December to demand free elections and media.

It said that Putin's visit "indicates that the Serbian rulers are ready to sacrifice human rights and better living standards of citizens because of their servile attitude toward Putin's regime."

Russia's interest in Serbia relates to its strategic position between East and West. Of Serbia's eight neighbors, five are NATO members and two more are seeking membership; and four are in the EU and two more are working toward accession. Serbia remains Moscow's only ally in the region.

Unlike NATO, Putin formally does not oppose Serbia's EU path and analysts believe that this is because he wants a staunch ally — or perhaps a Trojan horse — within the 28-nation bloc.

Putin's popularity in Serbia is mostly because the Kremlin is supporting Serbia in its rejection of Kosovo's independence. In contrast, most Western countries have recognized Kosovo's statehood.

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AP writer Jovana Gec contributed.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands after their talks in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019. Putin arrives in Serbia on Thursday for his fourth visit to the Balkan country since 2001. (Maxim Shipenkov/Pool Photo via AP)Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, center, presents Russian President Vladimir Putin with a puppy of the Sarplaninac breed during their meeting in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019. Putin arrives in Serbia on Thursday for his fourth visit to the Balkan country since 2001. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)Supporters of Russia's president Vladimir Putin and his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic hold a banner depicting the two during a show of support in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019. Amid a lavish welcome, Putin arrived in Serbia on Thursday in a show of the Russian president's support for the Balkan country's populist leader and his pro-Moscow policies. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, attend an official welcome ceremony prior to their talks in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019. Putin arrives in Serbia on Thursday for his fourth visit to the Balkan country since 2001. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, attend an official welcome ceremony prior to their talks in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019. Putin arrives in Serbia on Thursday for his fourth visit to the Balkan country since 2001. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)Russian President Vladimir Putin pets a puppy of the Sarplaninac breed presented to him by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic during their meeting in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019. Putin arrives in Serbia on Thursday for his fourth visit to the Balkan country since 2001. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin attend an official welcome ceremony prior to their talks in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019. Putin arrives in Serbia on Thursday for his fourth visit to the Balkan country since 2001. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)Russian President Vladimir Putin pets a puppy of the Sarplaninac breed presented to him by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic during their meeting in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019. Putin arrives in Serbia on Thursday for his fourth visit to the Balkan country since 2001. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)Supporters of Russia's president Vladimir Putin and his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic hold Serbian flags during a gathering in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019. Amid a lavish welcome, Putin arrived in Serbia on Thursday in a show of the Russian president's support for the Balkan country's populist leader and his pro-Moscow policies. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)Serbian honor guards prepare themselves for the welcome ceremony for Russian President Vladimir Putin, in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019. Putin arrives in Serbia on Thursday for his fourth visit to the Balkan country since 2001. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, awards Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic with Russia's Order of Alexander Nevsky after their talks in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019. Putin arrives in Serbia on Thursday for his fourth visit to the Balkan country since 2001. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, right, welcomes Russian President Vladimir Putin for the talks in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019. Putin arrives in Serbia on Thursday for his fourth visit to the Balkan country since 2001. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, left, greets Russian President Vladimir Putin upon his arrival at the Belgrade's Nikola Tesla Airport, Serbia, Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019. Putin arrives in Serbia on Thursday for his fourth visit to the Balkan country since 2001. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)